Lift - How to Help Others Over Life's Humps, Part 2

Would you like to motivate someone today. I mean motivate them right out of their socks get to be sneaky. But here's what I want you to do today to teach you how to catch someone doing something right and then blossom welcome this Monday edition of living will be with survival to international discipleship program continues a series. He also our will and the phrase is more blessed to receive is absolutely true. Just before we get started, try using chips message will help you follow chips outline the most of today's teaching.

A quick download when you go to LivingontheEdge.org just click listen now, so let's jump in a joint shift for part two of his message how to help others over life's office. Third, as you can bless people through notes, email is a blessing to say I'm thinking about you today. I'm praying for you as a blessing to say as I was praying this morning. Psalm 37 four just want to know, asking God to give you the desires of your heart to get the idea and he got all encourage you this week if you want to speak life into those that you love. Be still a blessing but doesn't stop there.

Notice verse two and three. Paul's appreciation he says we give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers constantly bearing in mind. Notice this your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of God our father knows the structure here. First of all, he gives thanks he lets them know I'm praying and when I pray you pop up on the screen size. What I'm praying the Thessalonians you up on the screen and is not of this man. God bless you, aren't you, nice people. I think of the specific things that I seen in your life. I thank God specifically for three things.

Number one he says your work produced by faith. The word work here. We get our word energy or activity from he says I thank God specifically for the activity in the love. Referring probably to evangelism because we hear later how it's gone out and also their good deeds and kind acts toward but that's not enough.

He says I think God for your for your work that is produced by your faith in Christ but also thinking for your labor of love. The word labor here prompted by love denotes extraordinary effort literally meant to cut to toil. It's a picture of someone taking bread and hitting it and trying to get it in a certain form to be usable.

Wiry says it's toiling to the point of exhaustion out of affection for another person like someone to pray and thank God that when they look at your life.

They see activity that is other centered. Because of your faith in Christ and they see you with a self sacrificial toil because you agape love God and love other people I be pretty encouraging when the third thing he says, though, as he says he also thanks God for their steadfastness of hope or really it's patients or I like the best translation is endurance. The word is a compound word Kubo Menno literally has the idea of a man with weight on his back. It means holding or remaining under pressure. It has the idea of when things get hard when things get difficult when everyone else comes out. You hang in there it means to be aggressive, to be courageous to not give up to not fall into self-pity. You hang in there and keep on doing when you don't feel like keep on doing why because you're inspired by the certainty of hope.

Christ is returning.

God is good God is sovereign in the notice. The last phrase in the present, literally means before the face of our God and father.

He expresses his appreciation for who they are and for what they've done. Do you do that I think about this as a father. I hope you have a different personality. I really do my personalities fairly analytical, and when I see something the thing that pops out immediately is what's wrong or how can be improved. You know, if you're a kid you what you hear a lot of you that's real good except for the a.m., but you know you know how D motivating. That is to see people who are constantly expressing appreciation for Thanksgiving. Boy, those are people that motivate and lift up and build you and Paul basically did. He said this is what you're doing right.

Thank God for the invasion. I'm not blowing smoke on talk about these three specific things, and by the way, it's happening. You want some encouragement it's happening before the very face of God and he sees what's going on to what would that be encouraging them to give you practical application can Blanchard is the author of the one minute manager in a number of other books affect raving fans is one that would really slow right out of this passage and he says, and that tell people what they're doing right wander around and catch people doing stuff right and then praise him and this is Megan progressive.

Don't wait until they have it perfect when you see people making little inclinations toward doing better. Praise him and appreciate him for the progress they're making some of us are waiting till people get completely right there never get it completely right because are a lot like us right, how you doing expressing your appreciation if you told you told your parents that lately he told fellow workers people you do ministry with lately how much you really appreciate and by the way, jot down under that. Be specific, not vague.

Second, the objective, not just feelings specific and objective things are done not just I feel so good I get to be your dad. I feel so good. We get to work together.

That's nice, but be specific.

Be objective and that includes some biblical truth. Notice how the apostle Paul did that, I thank God for these three things you want some truth to go along with that all these things are happening right God he sees it to you can speak life into people's lives.

If you get in the habit of bestowing a blessing number one and number two expressing your appreciation for who they are and for what they do and what they've done. Third, though Paul has confidence in their faith.

Look at verse four. Knowing brother and beloved by God's choice of you, but only before you go on his word. Knowing is very interesting. Thank God, form bases, knowing two words in the New Testament for knowing 1 Analogy Comes My Way to experience the other and objective knowledge. It's just fact, gravity you can believe in it, not believe in it jump off a five-story building same effect. That's this work.

He says I know for a fact what you know for a fact). Notice that word of love, beloved by God special word only use the Kings in the Old Testament.

His choice of you, but these guys were down there is days they got up and they were dead just Common adamant, and adamant, and when they're thinking maybe I'm not really in the family. The apostle Paul says I'll tell you something I know for a you are a part of God's family, that your sins are forgiven that the Spirit of God dwells in you that your eternal resting place will be with Jesus in heaven had all the power in heaven and earth is available to day by day. Now I'm certain of his choice of you use a welcome pulsing well. He tells us how we can say that. Look at verse five for our gospel did not come to you in word only just wasn't words but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction, just as you know what kind of men we proved for your sake to be the fact that the Thessalonica's were a part of God's family shown by the character of the message given by the sincere acceptance of it received in the transform lives that followed.

Look at the you also became imitators we get our word mimic from this. You became mimics exact reproduction of the originals.

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord take the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with joy of the Holy Spirit. Well today what you talk about a shot in the arm. You talk about something that quiet doubts in your heart. He says I know for certain, because when I was preaching.

There is not just word power and now I was there power but God authenticated in your hearts and in your lives, and then it's been evidenced by how you urine, it's clear. Can I encourage you to verbalize your confidence in other people say you know down deep. Everyone thinks someone else's way more spiritual than if you're married, you're sure your wife is and most of us right. But no matter who you rub up against the fact the matter, day in and day out. We honestly believe in our heart that all the people around us. They must know God more than we pray more or better, or God listens to them more than we do and you we have a confidence problem when it really comes with walking with God. One of the reasons is we don't verbalize to one another, what we see in one another's lives somehow makes us feel uncomfortable. Doesn't because that's more than just sort of casual conversation, you know you don't do stuff like they were not want. Yeah, it was very little hot by the way is really evident that the power of Jesus Christ's work in your life and I just wanted to share that I mean it's really it's really kind of a bit. He conquered the next level with people to say to him you know the evidence of the working of the Spirit of God in your life is a deep encouragement to me when the last time you told someone how real and how evident the working of God in them is to you because you know what we are were little mirrors to one another. There was a fellow named Don Geiger and he was the pastor of the church in Dallas. We moved to Dallas and Teresa and I moved there with two kids and your so later had our third and went to seminary there and and we went to this church, about 1800 2000 people and we were just overwhelmed except really we thought all of the big church will visit but we can go here because you know big churches are big and impersonal in the first week someone introduced themselves and took us home for lunch in the next week they met us and took us home for Sunday night and what we realized is that is not the size of the group is how connected you are to have things for kids that were just phenomenal and Don Geiger became one of my mentors and heroes. Well, I didn't have a lot of time and had a lot of demands and I make a lunch appointment wait two months to get to salmon very humble guy.

Great guided internship there. That church will bit later, but he more than any other person as I was praying this through as verbalize his confidence in my faith in the areas where I struggle. I was out of the little church in Texas and and boy you know my first everything happened there.

My first problem with this theory.

My first parliamentary buffers, and I never what you called on. I called Arnie take a call on you.

What I do what I do in the and he would ask questions forced me to think it through my own and I always remember this phrase your good mansion. Your good mansion and then he followed by chip you got faith God will show you what to do and then somewhere in that conversation, you always say something like trust your instincts. God's spirit will show you can put you there for a reason and he'll show you whatever you need and you know every time I would talk to that man he always was a mirror that reflected God was at work when I can see it myself. I didn't think I had what it took to make the decision. I don't think I had what it took to go to the next level spiritually. What Jesus is saying to you tonight. Will you please communicate what you see and brothers and sisters in Christ and confirm and verbalize your confidence in their faith so they can grasp that they really have and you will do them a service that is incredible fourth thing. The apostle Paul does is he affirms not only their faith but the impact of their life. Look at verse seven he said they received the word in much tribulation with joy the Holy Spirit, verse six, so that you became an example or a model to all the believers in Macedonia and why for the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia Kia but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone forth so that we had no need to say anything for that a member is a cultural center. Remember there's only ships come in and there's people traveling 200,000 people. It's a place and they come in to hear about the faith in these people's lives are dynamically changed and everyone is going out in the God sounded is in the perfect tense is this.

It's a picture of a trumpet blow or an echo in the ideas the echoes range going farther and farther and farther. He says you received the Don of eternity in your heart in the midst of a culture where it was tough and you faithfully and you have to tell us what happened. The impact of your life is so nominal people are coming to class and telling us how our visit went in what's happening in your life. Verse nine, for they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you and notice the testimony, not some Louis GUI will they had a religious experience.

Here's their testimony. How you turned to God from idols why to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Speaking of judgment. He affirms your life has impact. We always tend to focus on what were not doing. We need to do more of this or more that the apostle Paul bestows a blessing. The apostle Paul expresses appreciation for apostle Paul verbalizes his confidence and now he impact in their life. The single most encouraging thing is those Thessalonica guns would know that God had actually used. You know why because those of you involved in ministry. There's a great price tag and your pain a great price tag and you get opposition and you're putting in tons of hours in your loving kids in college students and junior hires and running tech equipment you're here earlier here late to doing evangelism out here you doing home groups and community groups in Bible study groups and you're giving your life away in the big question that nags you in the back of your mind is, is it for anything. Does it really matter, and we need we need to communicate to one another.

The impact of one another's lives. You can imagine that gift and you probably are unaware. I get lots of great encouragement and feedback given to other people given to the people who are invisible. They need to know that their life is making a difference by way of conclusion, I think we grossly underestimate the awesome power of an affirming word. We just grossly underestimated. Secondly, we grossly underestimate how deeply those around us are hurting quote loneliness. It seems like it's the hardest issue of human existence will let us not hear the word without responding. What I would like to ask you now to needs an affirming word from you today. Who do you know that has some humps to go over need you to write them a note and tell them what they're doing right. Be specific.

Be objective and add an element of God's truth and we will pray that God will show us what to do and whom to write. Father, thank you for the power of your word. We believe that you will bring to our mine, a name of a person that needs a word of encouragement. Help us to write just a brief encouraging specific word of appreciation affirmation that would let someone know me. See you working Jesus chip will be right back with a final thought about just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram the chips message how to help others over life's homes is produced series lift the awesome power of encouragement in the series chip opens the book of first Thessalonians to teach us what biblical encouragement looks like you'll learn how to help a fellow believer overcome feelings of discouragement will discover how to bring out the very best of the people around you and you learn how to give hope to someone who feels hopeless the series not only equips you to serve others, but it will strengthen you with the same time help you get started really encouraging others we've temporarily discounted all of the series resources for lift and don't forget chips, message notes, chips, free message notes help you dig deeper when you use them to study long as you listen to order your copy of lift or to download chips message notes just jump online to LivingontheEdge.org. I'll be right back in just a minute with some very specific application about today's message but before I do want to speak to a very special group of people I want to give you a word of encouragement if you will want to give you a lift today. Many of you pray for us very regularly and many of you support us financially and I'm not sure you really grasp the impact that you're making here in America and all around the world. I wish you could, and I know it's not possible if you could sorta sit with me across my desk and I could just put letters in front of you and emails in front of you and and recordings of of people that have told me stories of what God is doing in their life because they listen to a podcast, a radio broadcast read a book, you know, put a CD in the car did a small group with some friends and a marriage was saved. A child returned to the Lord. People who were planning to commit suicide didn't people struggling with anxiety and depression and those kind of things you would just be amazed with the other group of people who say you know you are you are feeding me through Living on the Edge and as a result of that, I started a Bible study with teenagers are. I'm now helping the homeless people or I'm using horses to help autistic people or you may not realize that despite may be that the radio or the teaching being what you hear. Most of the times that you are listening to this. I'm in China right now here in October.

Teaching God's word and God has opened doors that it just would take too long to explain in the midst of all the things you hear about China. God has given us a window to legally help brothers and sisters grow in Christ and then take that truth, the real God. In Romans 12 all across China. Later in November I will be in the Middle East and were going to go to some places that I never dreamed I would get to go when you pray, and as you have given. I just want to remind you today God is using your gift in your prayers in an exponential supernatural way and I want to say thank you thank you very, very, much and we would deeply appreciate your ongoing intercession in your partnership. We really really appreciate you if partnering with us to help Christians really lovely Christians is a mission that makes sense to you, would you consider joining us today. You can give a gift online that LivingontheEdge.org or if you prefer just call us at 1-888-333-6003, on behalf of everyone here.

Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support will now here's chip with a final thought when you hear this passage from the apostle Paul through first Thessalonians, you're tempted to think that Paul got his MBA from Harvard and he did it at their business school in the area of motivation and inspiration that you can go to a lot of seminars and a lot of people can say a lot of stuff, but this information in first Thessalonians is the best I've ever read on how to help people reach their God-given potential. Their principles in here that help people become all God designed them to be in there here for us direct content to direct people in that day but timeless principles for us.

He gives us four ways to speak life into those that we love.

Let me give you those four ways by way of reminder that you can practice them today. Way number one. Bestowal of blessing on people why because everyone's fearful everyone needs the sense of approval number to express your appreciation.

Why, because we all get down on ourselves and we lose perspective. Number three. Affirm the impact that their life has had why because we tend to focus on what we've done wrong. Instead of focusing on how much progress that we've made and then finally verbalize your confidence in their faith. Why, because we all struggle without an insecurity. I remember having to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and there was a wise mentor in my life. A fellow pastor who was down the road a number of years and he had mentored and love me and help me and I had a huge decision to make and I came to him and I asked him what you think I ought to do and he was so wise he understood what I needed most was to learn to trust God step up to the plate make a good decision and believe that God could use me in that way, and I'll never forget his words. He said chip. You're a good man. You walk with God. I know you can see Kim and I know whatever decision you make will be a great one. And you know it was just the confidence that I needed to step up and say you know God can use me and I can make the call and I can trust him. Who needs a word of blessing confidence or affirmation from you. Why don't you give it and make their day. Would you like to take Living on the Edge with you to the gym or on your next run will you Kim for those of you want to listen to Living on the Edge on the go. Just download the free chip and remap to get our app just search Chip Ingram at Google play for the App Store will be with us again tomorrow is to continues his series with the awesome power of now this really say thank you.

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